U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said talks about a “humanitarian pause” in Yemen will be a focal point of his upcoming meetings with Saudi officials.
Kerry said he will discuss the nature of a pause and how it might be implemented when he arrives in Riyadh late Wednesday.
He spoke from Djibouti Wednesday, where he held meetings with President Ismail Omar Guelleh and other officials. Kerry said Somalia and Yemen’s unrest were among the issues they discussed.
Djibouti has played a key role in hosting Americans and other foreigners fleeing from violence in Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition has been fighting Iran-backed Houthi rebels who have taken control of some parts of the country.
Kerry said there are indications that parties involved in Yemen’s conflict are ready to consider a humanitarian pause.
“In my conversation yesterday with another foreign minister from another country, there was an indication that others, the Houthi, might be willing to engage in a pause,” he said.
Kerry made his remarks during a joint appearance with Djibouti’s Foreign Minister Mahamoud Ali Youssouf.
During the appearance, he also announced the U.S. would provide another $68 million in humanitarian assistance to Yemen. The money will be used to provide food, water, shelter, medical care and other aid.
“Millions of vulnerable people urgently need help,” the secretary said.
The State Department said the money would help humanitarian organizations, which have been hampered by fuel shortages in the country, meet the needs of nearly 16 million people in Yemen affected by the country’s crisis, including about 300,000 who have been internally displaced.
Ahead of Kerry’s arrival in Djibouti, a senior State Department official said more than 500 American citizens evacuated from Yemen have come through Djibouti along with an equal number of family members. The official said the number of foreigners leaving Yemen has been “steady.”
